Flashing to Warn of Speed Checks, an Issue in the UK

A recent UK survey reveals that almost half of the British drivers admit to flashing their lights to warn other drivers of the presence of a speed check. The poll, which was released by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), was carried out on 4,800 motorists.

The poll comes after a prosecution of a driver last month, who received a GBP175 fine and was ordered to pay GBP250 subsequent to warning multiple approaching cars of a speed check. Almost 70 percent of those surveyed said that a driver shoudln’t be prosecuted for warning others, with only 21 percent believing that this should happen.

“The biggest reason for not flashing to warn of a speed check is safety, with ‘drivers who speed deserve to be caught and fined’ and ‘the meaning of the flash could be misinterpreted’, each polling a third of the votes from those who don’t flash,” said IAM chief examiner Peter Rodger.

“However, safety was also used as a major justification for those who do flash to warn of speed checks, with nearly 20 per cent saying they ‘wanted to avoid a possible collision when drivers see the speed check late and brake harshly in response’. The driver who was prosecuted for using his lights justified his behaviour by stating he used his lights to warn of a hazard.”

Almost 45 percent of drivers would like the Highway Code to include a standardized code of what flashes mean. 35 percent of respondents use their lights to tell others that they are giving way to them, while 30 percent use them to thank others for giving way to them, which means that the message could be confusing.